Page 45

“HELLO, MRS. GRAY. HOWare you?”

“Fine. Out to lunch with Reggie.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. Where are you at? Any special beverage you're drinking?”

“A tall, icy cola. I’m in the ladies’ room and it’s empty.” I lock the door behind me, hoping no one will have an emergency in the next five minutes.

Powell sighs. “Well, it’s been a busy morning. Delgado’s lawyer talked to him immediately after viewing the financial documents from his hard drive. We didn’t say where we obtained them, but he’ll eventually ask.”

“Why didn’t he ask already?”

“When it’s that bad, you don’t take the time to ask, you just call your client. Which he did. He suggested Delgado take a deal, according to our prosecutor. Delgado refused.”

I guess I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t want to piss off someone like Estrada.

“But give us time to talk to him. We’re going to speak to him tomorrow morning and see what information Mr. Delgado might offer in exchange for a lighter sentence—or even a chance to start over. He’s a bright young man, isn’t he?”

I blink. I used to brag about my Ivy League hubby with his Stanford degree, but the pleasant tone Powell uses is just too much for me. It’s almost admiring. I wish Reggie could hear this call to tell me if there’s something rotten in Powell’s inflection.

“He killed a man. He helps people terrorize and kill people!” I whisper-yelp.He’s in league with literal demons—not that you’d understand that.

“Comparatively speaking, Mr. Delgado’s involvement is minimal to say... his godfather’s. As it stands, expect us tomorrow evening unless Delgado changes his mind and either plea bargains or counters it with his own offer.”

“What if he does?”

“Then we’ll pick you up on Friday. That’s the first opening we have at the WITSEC facility. And we’ll deposit fifteen thousand into your account after a few papers are signed. That’s the Anti-Terrorism Task Force’s reward for information leading to the arrest of certain members of the RACAF organization.”

“Goody.”

“We’ll call tomorrow morning.”

“You said that you’d call yesterday.”

“Did I? I’m so sorry, Mrs. Gray, but sometimes personal contact isn’t necessary, especially if nothing has changed for you. It can be busy, even during the weekend. You can always phone us back if you have questions. Now, don’t worry. Either way, you’re going to be completely taken care of. Have a nice cold dessert with Mr. Gray.”

Powell hangs up, and I unlock the door. I couldn’t eat another bite right now if he paid me fifteenmilliondollars! Something about Powell’s smarmy voice leaves me cold, something he said tickles my subconscious, and his news leaves me unsettled.

“What is it?” Reggie puts his arm around me as soon as I exit.

“The lawyer advised Matteo to take a plea. He didn’t.”

“They won’t stop there. They need to sweeten it. Give them a few days.”

I look up at Reggie's face, seeing the lines deepen as he frowns.

“He said they might offer Matteo a chance to start over. Said he’s a ‘bright young man.’ It was strange. Almost like he admired him. He even said that Matteo’s crimes were small—comparatively speaking.”

Reggie shakes his head. “Wish I could have heard him. That’s an odd thing to say, but then again, Powell could be playing up the good cop role. You know, the one where he tries to convince Delgado that it’s not so bad, that he can start over and get away from all of the stuff in his past.

“But why say that tome? Even if he was playing the good cop, that’s my ex-husband. I saw him murder someone. There is no universe where he gets to ‘start over’ like it never happened.”

“I have no idea.”

“Oh, and I called him out on not phoning when he said, and he brushed me off! He was like, ‘I’m busy, even on the weekends. Everyone can’t have personal attention.’”

Reggie's scowl threatens to crack his face in half. “That’s an odd way to put it. I wish I could have heard him.”

“I wished the same thing.”